The Sundance Film Festival is celebrating its 40th edition with the 2024 festival running January 18th through 28th in Park City and Salt Lake City. In honor of the milestone event, Sundance called on the filmmaking community to put together a list of the top 10 feature films that have screened at the annual festival.
Over 4,000 feature films have been presented at the festival, and culling that massive list to 10 required the input of 500+ filmmakers, critics, and industry members who shared their personal top 10 lists. Topping the All Time Top 10 Films list is Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, which debuted in 2014. Whiplash, starring J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller, won the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and the Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic at the festival and went on to win three Oscars (Best Supporting Actor, Editing, and Sound Mixing).
Feature film directing debuts of Steven Soderbergh, Jordan Peele, and Quentin Tarantino were voted onto the list. Richard Linklater has the honor of claiming spots seven and eight, and Christopher Nolan was presented with the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for the number five film on the list, Memento.
40th Edition All Time Top Ten Films
10. Blood Simple (1985), Joel and Ethan Coen
9. Y tu mamá también (2002), Alfonso Cuarón
8. Boyhood (2014), Richard Linklater
7. Before Sunrise (1995), Richard Linklater
6. sex, lies and videotape (1989), Steven Soderbergh
5. Memento (2001), Christopher Nolan
4. Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
3. Get Out (2017), Jordan Peele
2. Reservoir Dogs (1992), Quentin Tarantino
1. Whiplash (2014), Damien Chazelle
